season.
Yet, two people were making their way along the route, a man and a woman, Takashi Ishida and Emi Ono. They had hiked over Mt. Oyama in the Tateyama range from Murodo and from there cut across to Tsurugidake. Finally, they descended from Tsurugisawa and began following their current path. Their schedule was relaxed, designed to give plenty of time. They had already spent one night at Murodo and another at the Tsurugi Lodge. Ishida was accustomed to the mountains, and he had walked the route before. It was Emi’s first time in the area, but she felt confident. Having hiked up the peaks of Hodaka and Jonendake at Kamikochi a number of times, she was no slouch. They were both students of the same university in Tokyo.
At a point halfway to the ridge, Emi called out, “Look!” A rabbit was crouching in the shade of some rocks just 7 meters ahead of them. A wild rabbit, its fur was almost brown in color.
“I bet it’ll bolt in a second,” the man replied. But it was still, even when they were almost upon it. It finally moved when they were only a meter or so away, but its movement was awkward, dragging its right leg behind it. The rabbit was injured.
“Look, it’s pulling a branch.” Emi pointed a finger. A small branch trailed half a meter or so behind the fleeing creature. It appeared to be connected to the rabbit’s leg by some kind of thread. It had stumbled into a snare and managed to drag itself this far with the branch in tow. “It’ll die if we don’t get that thing off it,” she said.
Ishida started after it still carrying his rucksack. Emi followed close behind. He came close to catching it a few times, but each time the rabbit escaped. It should have been easy enough, he just needed to get his foot on the branch, or maybe it would just get stuck somewhere, but it was not happening. The rabbit was injured, but it was still a wild animal. It was not going to be easy for someone unprepared like Ishida to catch it with only their hands. Before he knew it, they had strayed from the path but not far enough to get lost. They still had plenty of time. The rabbit dived under a collapsed tree and the branch snagged. Ishida kept a foot on the branch while Emi hoisted the rabbit up.
“It’s some kind of synthetic,” she said. Nylon loops usually work themselves loose but this noose was taut, eating into the rabbit’s leg. “Poor thing,” she stroked its head. The frightened creature trembled in her hands.
Ishida pulled out his hiking knife. Just as he finished cutting the noose free, he heard a man’s voice, “And just what do you think you’re doing there?”
Ishida and Emi jumped, spinning toward the direction of the voice. Three men were perched in the undergrowth among the trees. They looked more or less like a group of hikers, but something about them was clearly wrong. Two of them were smiling, but the smile did not extend to their eyes. Their eyes were full of violence--the hungry eyes of predators that had found prey.
The third man, the one standing to the right, was not smiling. He looked over the two of them, eyes devoid of emotion. The effect was even more disconcerting than the smiles of the others. He had a scar on his chin, clearly from a knife wound. The scar was the type that spoke to any normal person’s subconscious, warning them to steer clear. It was a scar now, but the wound would have probably cut all the way to the bone, the kind of scar that demanded respect. It was clear from their appearance that they made a profession of violence.
Emi found herself taking a step backward, her legs responding to the strange feeling originating from the men. Her arms fell to her sides and the rabbit leaped free. It bounded away at a speed uncanny for three legs, and then it was gone.
“There goes our fucking dinner,” muttered one of the grinning men, the taller of the two.
“How fucking depressing,” said the shorter man. He rubbed his right hand over his cheek.
“Umm...was
Yet, two people were making their way along the route, a man and a woman, Takashi Ishida and Emi Ono. They had hiked over Mt. Oyama in the Tateyama range from Murodo and from there cut across to Tsurugidake. Finally, they descended from Tsurugisawa and began following their current path. Their schedule was relaxed, designed to give plenty of time. They had already spent one night at Murodo and another at the Tsurugi Lodge. Ishida was accustomed to the mountains, and he had walked the route before. It was Emi’s first time in the area, but she felt confident. Having hiked up the peaks of Hodaka and Jonendake at Kamikochi a number of times, she was no slouch. They were both students of the same university in Tokyo.
At a point halfway to the ridge, Emi called out, “Look!” A rabbit was crouching in the shade of some rocks just 7 meters ahead of them. A wild rabbit, its fur was almost brown in color.
“I bet it’ll bolt in a second,” the man replied. But it was still, even when they were almost upon it. It finally moved when they were only a meter or so away, but its movement was awkward, dragging its right leg behind it. The rabbit was injured.
“Look, it’s pulling a branch.” Emi pointed a finger. A small branch trailed half a meter or so behind the fleeing creature. It appeared to be connected to the rabbit’s leg by some kind of thread. It had stumbled into a snare and managed to drag itself this far with the branch in tow. “It’ll die if we don’t get that thing off it,” she said.
Ishida started after it still carrying his rucksack. Emi followed close behind. He came close to catching it a few times, but each time the rabbit escaped. It should have been easy enough, he just needed to get his foot on the branch, or maybe it would just get stuck somewhere, but it was not happening. The rabbit was injured, but it was still a wild animal. It was not going to be easy for someone unprepared like Ishida to catch it with only their hands. Before he knew it, they had strayed from the path but not far enough to get lost. They still had plenty of time. The rabbit dived under a collapsed tree and the branch snagged. Ishida kept a foot on the branch while Emi hoisted the rabbit up.
“It’s some kind of synthetic,” she said. Nylon loops usually work themselves loose but this noose was taut, eating into the rabbit’s leg. “Poor thing,” she stroked its head. The frightened creature trembled in her hands.
Ishida pulled out his hiking knife. Just as he finished cutting the noose free, he heard a man’s voice, “And just what do you think you’re doing there?”
Ishida and Emi jumped, spinning toward the direction of the voice. Three men were perched in the undergrowth among the trees. They looked more or less like a group of hikers, but something about them was clearly wrong. Two of them were smiling, but the smile did not extend to their eyes. Their eyes were full of violence--the hungry eyes of predators that had found prey.
The third man, the one standing to the right, was not smiling. He looked over the two of them, eyes devoid of emotion. The effect was even more disconcerting than the smiles of the others. He had a scar on his chin, clearly from a knife wound. The scar was the type that spoke to any normal person’s subconscious, warning them to steer clear. It was a scar now, but the wound would have probably cut all the way to the bone, the kind of scar that demanded respect. It was clear from their appearance that they made a profession of violence.
Emi found herself taking a step backward, her legs responding to the strange feeling originating from the men. Her arms fell to her sides and the rabbit leaped free. It bounded away at a speed uncanny for three legs, and then it was gone.
“There goes our fucking dinner,” muttered one of the grinning men, the taller of the two.
“How fucking depressing,” said the shorter man. He rubbed his right hand over his cheek.
“Umm...was
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